After 31 hours and five minutes on the basketball court, the small town of Boulia located in the far western reaches of Queensland, took the title of World Record holder for the longest, continuous game of basketball. The Guinness World Record title was previously held by professional basketballers in Nebraska, USA, who were on court for 30 hours and 12 minutes.
Boulia, covering an area of 61,000 square kilometres, has 600 residents compared to Nebraska’s 1.7 million. The average temperature in Nebraska is 18 degrees Celsius, while Boulia is 40 degrees.
Following months of planning, the team of 20 players slogged it out at the newly opened $4 million Boulia Sports and Aquatic Centre from 6.30 am on Saturday 7 May until just after 1.30 pm the following Sunday afternoon. The outcome of the match was Red defeating Blue 3,168 to 1,706 with a massive total of 4,874 points scored.
“It was a great community effort with locals donating their time to ensure players were fed and watered, with many coming in the middle of the night to cheer us through the hardest part,” said CEO of Boulia Shire Council, Michelle McFayden.
Council organised the event together with Boulia Police as part of activities for Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month. The activities are designed to provide family oriented fun in the community, while raising awareness of domestic and family violence issues.
Other activities included a march to the Burke River to lay flowers in remembrance of those affected by domestic violence and a children’s poster competition.
